The International Organization for Standardization Open Systems Interconnection (ISO/OSI) model is a layered architecture that standardizes levels of service and types of interaction for systems exchanging information through a communications network. The ISO/OSI model separates computer-to-computer communications into seven layers or levels, each building upon the standards contained in the levels below it. The highest of the seven layers deals with software interactions at the application-program level. In contrast, the lowest level is the “physical layer” (PHY), which is hardware-oriented and deals with aspects of establishing and maintaining a physical link between communicating systems. Among specifications covered on the physical layer are cabling, electrical signals, and mechanical connections.
As the development of mobile device trends toward richer functionality (e.g., improved displays, cameras, peripherals, etc.) and media/content (e.g., more robust cloud-based services), mobile computing device platforms and architectures seek to accommodate greater bandwidth in the transfer of data between components. Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) Alliance is a working group that sets standards for mobile computing devices. Smart phones, personal digital assistants, laptops, tablets, and, more generally, mobile computing devices, may be designed with one or more MIPI configuration compliant components. Each component may implement a MIPI link.